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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
August 23 - Bible-in-a-Year
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1 Chronicles 20:1-22:1
Chapter 20
War with Philistine Giants
1 (C1)Then it happened (F1)in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. And (C2)Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it.2 (C1)David took the crown of (F1)their king from his head, and he found it to weigh a (F2)talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it; and it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoils of the city, a very great amount.3 He brought out the people who were in it, (C1)and (F1)put them to work at saws, iron picks, and axes. And David did the same to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
4 (C1)Now it came about after this, that war (F1)broke out at (F2)Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite (F3)killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the (F4)giants, and they were subdued.5 And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of (C1)Jair (F1)killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the (C2)shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.6 Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also was descended from the giants.7 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, (F1)killed him.8 These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
Chapter 21
Census Brings Plague
1 (C1)Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count Israel.2 So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, "(C1)Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me word so that I may know their number."3 But Joab said, "(C1)May the LORD add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! My lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"4 Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout Israel, and came to Jerusalem.5 Then Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David. (C1)Israel was 1,100,000 men in all who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword.6 (C1)But he did not (F1)count Levi and Benjamin among them, because the king's (F2)command was abhorrent to Joab.
7 Now (F1)God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.8 David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, (F1)by doing this thing. (C1)But now, please overlook Your servant's guilt, for I have behaved very foolishly."
9 The LORD spoke to (C1)Gad, David's (C2)seer, saying,10 "Go and speak to David, saying, 'This is what the LORD says: "I extend to you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you."'"11 So Gad came to David and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Take for yourself12 (C1)three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD: a plague in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout the territory of Israel.' Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall bring back to Him who sent me."13 David said to Gad, "I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, (C1)for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into human hands."
14 (C1)So the LORD (F1)sent a plague on Israel; seventy thousand men of Israel fell.15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw and (C1)was sorry about the catastrophe, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now relax your hand." And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of (F1)Ornan the Jebusite.16 Then David raised his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, (C1)covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces.17 And David said to God, "Is it not I who (F1)commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly, (C1)but these sheep, what have they done? LORD, my God, just let Your hand be against me and my father's household, and not against Your people as a plague."
David's Altar
18 (C1)Then the angel of the LORD (F1)commanded Gad to say to David, that David was to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the LORD.20 Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat.21 As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself to David with his face to the ground.22 Then David said to Ornan, "Give me the (F1)site of this threshing floor, so that I may build on it an altar to the LORD; you shall give it to me for the full price, so that the plague may be brought to a halt from the people."23 But Ornan said to David, "Take it for yourself, and may my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I am giving the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I am giving it all."24 Nevertheless, King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will certainly buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer a burnt offering (F1)which costs me nothing."25 So (C1)David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the (F1)site.26 Then David built an altar there to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to the LORD, and (C1)He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.27 The LORD commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifice there.29 (C1)For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were on the high place at Gibeon at that time.30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the LORD.
Chapter 22
David Prepares for Temple Building
1 Then David said, "(C1)This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel."<
Zechariah 8
Chapter 8
The Coming Peace and Prosperity of Zion
1 Then the word of the LORD of armies came, saying,2 "The LORD of armies says this: 'I am (C1)exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.'3 "The LORD says this: 'I will return to Zion and (C1)dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of (C2)Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of armies will be called the Holy Mountain.'4 "The LORD of armies says this: '(C1)Old men and old women will again sit in the public squares of Jerusalem, each person with his staff in his hand because of (F1)age.5 'And the public squares of the city will be filled with (C1)boys and girls playing in its squares.'6 "The LORD of armies says this: 'If it is (C1)too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be (C2)too difficult in My sight?' declares the LORD of armies.7 "The LORD of armies says this: 'Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the (F1)(C1)east and from the land of the (F2)west;8 and I will (C1)bring them back and they will (C2)live in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be (C3)My people, and I will be their God in (F1)truth and righteousness.'
9 "The LORD of armies says this: 'Let your hands be (C1)strong, you who are listening in these days to these words from the mouth of the (C2)prophets, those who spoke in the day that the foundation of the house of the LORD of armies was laid, so that the temple might be built.10 'For before those days there was (C1)no wage for man nor any wage for animal; and for him who went out or came in there was no (F1)(C2)peace because of (F2)his enemies, and I (C3)sent all the people against one another.11 'But now I will (C1)not (F1)treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,' declares the LORD of armies.12 'For there will be (C1)the seed of peace: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce, and the heavens will provide their (C2)dew; and I will give to the remnant of this people (C3)all these things as an inheritance.13 'And it will come about that just as you were a (C1)curse among the nations, house of Judah and house of Israel, so I will save you that you may become a (C2)blessing. Do not fear; let your (C3)hands be strong.'
14 "For this is what the LORD of armies says: 'Just as I (C1)determined to do harm to you when your fathers provoked Me to anger,' says the LORD of armies, 'and I have not (C2)relented,15 so I have again determined in these days to (C1)do good to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. (C2)Do not fear!16 'These are the things which you shall do: speak the (C1)truth to one another; (C2)judge with truth and judgment for peace at your (F1)gates.17 'Also let none of you (C1)devise evil in your heart against another, and do not love (F1)(C2)perjury; for all these things are what I (C3)hate,' declares the LORD."
18 Then the word of the LORD of armies came to me, saying,19 "The LORD of armies says this: 'The fast of the (C1)fourth, the fast of the (C2)fifth, the fast of the (C3)seventh, and the fast of the (C4)tenth months will become (C5)joy, jubilation, and (F1)cheerful festivals for the house of Judah; so (C6)love truth and peace.'
20 "The LORD of armies says this: 'It will yet turn out that (C1)peoples will come, that is, the inhabitants of many cities.21 'The inhabitants of one city will go to another, saying, "Let's go at once to (C1)plead for the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of armies; (F1)I also will go."22 'So (C1)many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of armies in Jerusalem, and to (C2)plead for the favor of the LORD.'23 "The LORD of armies says this: 'In those days ten people from all the (F1)nations will (F2)(C1)grasp the (F3)garment of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you."'"
John 5:19-47
Chapter 5
19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, (C1)the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever (F1)the Father does, these things the Son also does in the same way.20 "(C1)For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him (C2)greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.21 "For just as the Father raises the dead and (C1)gives them life, so (C2)the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but (C1)He has given all judgment to the Son,23 so that all will honor the Son just as they honor the Father. (C1)The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and (C1)believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and (C2)does not come into judgment, but has (C3)passed out of death into life.
Two Resurrections
25 "Truly, truly, I say to you, (F1)(C1)a time is coming and (F2)even now has arrived, when (C2)the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who (C3)hear will live.26 "For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He (C1)gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;27 and He gave Him authority to (C1)execute judgment, because He is (F1)the Son of Man.28 "Do not be amazed at this; for (F1)(C1)a time is coming when (C2)all who are in the tombs will hear His voice,29 and will come out: (C1)those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the bad deeds to a resurrection of judgment.30 "(C1)I can do nothing (F1)on My own. As I hear, I judge; and (C2)My judgment is (F2)righteous, because I do not seek My own will but (C3)the will of Him who sent Me.
31 "(C1)If I alone testify about Myself, My testimony is not (F1)true.32 "There is (C1)another who testifies about Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true.
Testimony of John the Baptist
33 "You have sent messengers to John, and he (C1)has testified to the truth.34 "But (C1)the testimony I receive is not from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.35 "He was (C1)the lamp that was burning and shining, and you (C2)were willing to rejoice for (F1)a while in his light.Testimony of Works
36 "But the testimony I have is greater than the testimony of John; for (C1)the works which the Father has given Me (C2)to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father (C3)has sent Me.Testimony of the Father
37 "And the Father who sent Me, (C1)He has testified about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.38 "Also you do not have (C1)His word remaining in you, because you do not believe Him whom He (C2)sent.Testimony of the Scripture
39 "(F1)(C1)You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is (C2)those very Scriptures that testify about Me;40 and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.41 "(C1)I do not receive glory from people;42 but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves.43 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not (F1)receive Me; (C1)if another comes in his own name, you will (F1)receive him.44 "How can you believe, when you (F1)(C1)accept (F2)glory from one another and you do not seek (C2)the (F2)glory that is from (C3)the one and only God?45 "Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is (C1)Moses, in whom you have put your hope.46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for (C1)he wrote about Me.47 "But (C1)if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995,2020 by The Lockman Foundation
